FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Surely the English language expression is: "party hearty"? I don't think "party hardy" makes sense. I believe the error derives from the U.S. pronunciation of 't' as 'd' ("party" as "pardy"), hence 'hearty' becomes 'hardy'.
Love the newsletter and look forward to it.

Allo Kristin,

I have been enjoying your Word a Day for some time now and I have even had fun sharing some comments from time to time.... I too am married to an amazing Frenchman and we have 2 children now both grown, but we spent many summers in France where my French family lives. I loved seeing your photos of St Jean de Luz since we had a few summers in Guethary on the beach. (My Patrick was premier danseur at the Paris Opera and I danced with American Ballet Theatre in New York and so we met through our careers.)

Anyway, I am writing to you now because of your London trip. It made me think you might be able to help us. Our daughter Noelle graduated this past May with her master's degree in costume design (from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh) and she has her heart set on relocating to London to start her new life there : ( sniff........ As her mom, I hate to see my best friend move out of my life so far away, but I also know she must go and at least try it. I dread the airport scene coming in the near future, sheesh.

In discussing with her the different ways to pursue this (expensive) goal, we came up with the suggestion to try to find a family that would rent her a room for three months while she tries to get on her feet. That way she would not be so alone and they would be helpful in showing her "the ropes" (i.e. banking, transportation, best places to find a new cell phone, etc). AND her parents would not worry as much seeing her going so far away.

I have spent the last month asking everyone in our world (friends, relatives, acquaintances, friends-of-friends....) if they know ANYone who might know such a situation. She is anxious to buy her plane ticket to get to London by the end of January when she has organized work interviews (she has her EU passeport).

So today when I saw the photos of your "hotes" that you referred to, I got an idea. I wondered if you could connect us with any London folk who might have a room to rent to a young Franco-American woman just starting out? I know this seems like a long shot, but I must try. You don't know me as well as I feel I know you because of your blog, but I hope you don't mind my long email.

Anyway, Kristin, thanks for reading my story. I often wonder about more of your own story and how you met your Frenchman and how difficult it might be to live so far away from your chere mamman (I am thinking of her alot as I head into saying goodbye to my own daughter..........) Will you celebrate Thanksgiving? If so, have a special day with your delightful family!

amicalement,
Patti
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Milles mercis, chère Kristin, for coming to my rescue! Today it is my turn to present "The Word of the Day" in my French class à L'Alliance Française. I've been looking for a clever idea - my classmates are all veterans of French travel, some are former residents of the country, and all are life long students of a language I've only recently begun to acquire. And they are a witty bunch, to boot!
"Foire" will do me nicely, since as you know, we make our living at "Foires d'Arts et Artesanies", so I can have a good time enhancing your offering with a few fun stories of my own!

This weekend we are off to do our last "foire" of the year, and as the economy continues to "foirer", we may all need to console ourselves with a good bottle of wine when it's all over!

Bon chance, cherie! May all our "foires" be successful!

Johanna DeMay

Great to see photos of your trip to London! Looks like it was a fun time and good connecting in the business world.

Hello johanna DeMay and everyone,

Here are a few other fairs for you:
-> la foire du livre = Book Fair
-> la foire aux bestiaux = Cattle Fair
-> la foire commerciale = Trade Fair / Trade Show

FOIRER (for plan, project, exam -->
Abject confession:
J'ai tout foiré = I've made a complete mess, I failed.

“Avoir la foire / foirer”, is quite an old slang for having diarrheoa / diarrhea. Outdated? Nowadays, I think it's been taken over by “avoir la courante” which is precisely -> to have “the runs” (such realistic expressions!)

Just thinking about how “larrons” [litt. larrons = thieves] get on so well with each other at a fairground. Hence the expression:
Ils s'entendent "comme larrons en foire" = They are "as thick as thieves".

Hi Kristin and Jean-Marc!
I think the Londoners are feeling the pinch from the credit crunch!
Anyway, it's fantastic to know your wine has now reached the other side of the Channel. I feel so happy and privileged to have met you. It was so marvellous!

Signed -> one of the FWAD “clique”...

As a followup to ksam's observation, if you call someone an "enfoiré(e)," you had best be prepared to run. This is a *very* naughty pejorative, and those dictionaries which print it usually surround it with asterisks!

Je trouve les expressions très intéressantes sur ce blog.

L'expression "la foire aux plaisirs = funfair" n'est pas très adaptée. Le mot 'funfair' est plus proche de "fête foraine" ou de "parc d'attractions".

Reminds me of Ray Bradbury's science-fiction novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", about a very strange carnival that comes to a small Midwestern town at the end of October, with a carousel and other rides that promise whatever you want but instead deliver just the opposite. The French title is "La Foire aux tenebres".